At Silostop we are always striving to achieve the best silage storage outcomes for our customers. This is at the forefront of our minds to optimise production and efficiency and minimise waste. The products we develop seek to reduce oxidation and clamp losses and deliver the best returns for our dairy farming and biogas customers
Delivering these products to you is part of an ongoing and continual process of product improvement and a very conscious investment in sustainability methodology. This is part of our core ethos and shared across the platform with all our Sister companies. From the fully recyclable oxygen barrier films to how our concrete clamp panels are made and delivered is a considered process and one that we constantly strive to improve.
Cement is a key component of manufacturing precast concrete, and we are acutely aware that its production generates substantial CO₂ emissions that impact our planet. To address this, over the last year we have been exploring innovative solutions to reduce our reliance on cement, while upholding the strength, quality and durability of our products.
Following extensive successful trials, we are exceptionally proud to announce that we’ve introduced a cutting-edge cement replacement into our concrete mixes for both our precast and prestressed products, resulting in a cement reduction of just under 30%, without compromising our concrete's performance.
Based on our current workload and production schedule, we predict in the coming year that this will result in just over 2,500 tonnes of CO₂e being removed from our concrete products. That’s equivalent to driving an average petrol vehicle over 6 million miles – or around the earth 240 times!
And the savings don’t stop there; as we increase our production volumes, the greater this saving becomes. On top of these important carbon reductions, our products will benefit from increased early strength, enhanced colour brightness and improved surface smoothness.
Since our reporting baseline in 2018, this change to our concrete mix in 2024 means that the CO₂e in products manufactured in our Prestressed Factory (Beams and Hollowcore Planks) will reduce by 21%. Products manufactured in our Precast Factory (Stairs, Landings, Columns and Ground Beams) have an equally impressive saving of over 15%.
The introduction of this cement replacement technology is a significant step forward in our aim of becoming the UK’s most sustainable supplier of precast concrete products, and by doing so we are demonstrating our commitment to producing high-quality, environmentally-friendly concrete products, for the betterment of our people and planet.
Proof indeed that a concrete panel is not “ just a concrete panel”
In choosing partners, we value greatly a like minded ethos and with Bosch Beton our Dutch partner for Vertical wall concrete clamp panel systems they have embarked on a similar journey with an ambitious journey towards a cement free product. Already all vertical panels are at stage 3 of 5 with a 50% reduction in cement usage
Standard concrete mixtures were based 100% on cement: their so-called 1st Generation mixture. With the commissioning of their new plant, they switched to a more sustainable 2nd Generation mixture, which was already 30% cement-free, making it much better for the environment than the previous variant. This is how they’re working step by step towards a first 100% cement-free generation and how we’re doing our bit to reduce carbon emissions.
They’ve now also taken a further step towards cement-free generation, as Bosch Beton has introduced its 3rd generation concrete mixture, reducing the cement content by some 50%! This mixture will be the new standard for all infra applications from 1 February 2023.
The far-reaching hybrid variants and even the 100% geopolymer variants are available on request as part of pilot projects.
The entire 3.3ha site has a roof solar farm generating 5.4mW and thus Bosch Beton even as an energy intensive user is a net exporter to the Dutch grid.
Of course we also recognise that measuring, recording and stabilising our environmental impacts are important to our customer stakeholders including funders and as a Company we actively engage and support sustainability assessments and reporting on a company basis or delivered project basis. Several recent projects have been supported by our logistics and operational team with sustainability assessments and data submitted on an ongoing basis and supported by our own Group sustainability Manager.
Our entire company ethos is predicated on our commitment across the Group to reduce our carbon footprint; our back office sites are chosen to be located on good public transport networks, all fleet cars for field and management staff are electric or hybrid vehicles and two further examples of CO₂ investments in the last few months include the following:
Firstly, we can announce that all of our in-house delivery vehicles, provided in partnership with our haulage provider Woodland Logistics, are now powered by 100% renewable HVO biofuel.
HVO (or hydrotreated vegetable oil) is a sustainable biofuel derived from sunflower or rapeseed oil which helps us reduce our carbon footprint and support a greener future for our business and the industry as a whole.
A typical week for us running just one delivery lorry on regular diesel produced around 1,600kg of CO₂e emissions (and we have 10 of them!). Switching from regular diesel to renewable HVO has reduced that to just 150kg of CO₂e per vehicle, per week - an incredible reduction of 88%.
Based on our current deliveries, we predict that this switch will provide an annual saving of 725-tonnes (725,000kg) of CO₂e.
Our aim is to be the most sustainable supplier of precast concrete products, and this transition is another excellent step towards that goal.
We understand that our industry is notoriously impactful on the environment, and that making significant reductions is a big challenge. But we are up for this challenge – we are determined to make a positive difference and play an influential role in mitigating climate change across the construction sector.
Secondly, we announce the launch of the newest technological addition to our pre-stressed factory: the UK’s first battery powered concrete transporter. This state-of-the-art machine represents a significant leap forward in our commitment to reducing emissions and enhancing operational efficiency.
Powered by a lithium battery pack, this new machine replaces an older model that was initially diesel-powered, and later transitioned to Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO). While the HVO conversion was a significant step toward reducing our carbon footprint, the new transporter takes this to the next level.
What Does Our Concrete Transporter Do?
Concrete is prepared in our batching plant and delivered to the production line in specially designed buckets. The concrete transporter then takes over, smoothly and quietly delivering the concrete mix to the casting machines which are also electronically powered.
As the casting machines extrude the concrete into its desired form, be it beams or hollow core planks, the transporter ensures it is continuously supplied, keeping the production line running seamlessly.
Zero Emissions and Solar-Powered Efficiency
Building on the original concept of our bespoke transporter—created by our maintenance foreman in collaboration with a local fabricator —this new model incorporates advanced technology to deliver unprecedented performance and sustainability benefits.
The shift from diesel to electric power has resulted in dramatic reductions in our CO₂e emissions. Before 2021, the previous transporter was responsible for producing around 20,000kg (20-tonnes) of CO₂e annually. By switching to HVO, we cut this down to just 279kg/year. Now, with the new transporter, charged entirely through our onsite solar panels, we have achieved close to zero operational emissions—an incredible milestone in our sustainability journey.
The concrete transporter’s lithium-ion battery pack provides more than a full day’s operation on a single charge. And with a full recharge time of less than 1.5 hours, this transporter ensures minimal downtime and maximum productivity. Furthermore, the advanced safety features, including ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) and real-time obstacle detection, enhance both operational efficiency and workplace safety.
As we continue to invest in greener technology, the introduction of the battery powered transporter marks a significant step towards our goal of a more sustainable future. By reducing our carbon footprint and embracing cutting-edge innovation, we’re setting new standards in the concrete manufacturing industry.
The journey continues as we strive for cost effective and environmentally beneficial silage clamps, Silostop Agri is fully committed to be a partner for it’s dairy farmers and AD operator clients with first class silage, well made and preserved achieving optimum performance in the most sustainable way; it begins and ends with that first concrete panel delivery to site and we continue to be your service and ethical silage plastics partner for a lifetime
